Falling Fast
by alfie44
Summary: Drache's been stuck on a boring island her whole life. When the Straw Hat Pirates show up, her whole life changes in one night that she can't even remember. (ZoroxOC in later chapters)
1. Chapter 1

She woke up with a horrible headache and the urge to vomit. Whatever she'd done the night before, she regretted it now. She crawled to the edge of her bed, then realized that she was lying on an old frayed blanket on a wooden floor. She slowly got to her feet, and looked around, finally finding a door. She rushed out into the harsh light. The salty smell of the ocean hit her, along with the realization she was on a ship. Leaving all mysteries for later, she rushed to the edge and regurgitated all of her bad decisions over the rail.

"I see you're still alive," said a calm voice from behind her. Wiping her mouth with her hand, she spun around, immediately regretting her haste. She found herself looking at someone she vaguely recognized from the last night. "What was your name?" said the woman, "I remember it was unusual."

"It's Drache", she replied. She started trying to tame her unruly mane.

"You made quite an impression on our crew last night"

Drache flushed, trying to flatten a particularly troublesome patch of hair. "I have to admit... I don't remember much."

"Not surprising. Let's just start over, then. I'm Robin, Nico Robin."

"Wonderful to meet you. Again, I guess," she said as she hastily untangled her fingers from her hair to shake Robin's hand.

"The rest of the crew is still asleep, but I can take you back home, if you want."

"Oh, could I stay a little longer? No one wants me back on that rock, especially not me."

"Of course."

* * *

On a comfortable lounge chair on the deck, nibbling a crisp, juicy apple, Drache started feeling better. She looked over at Robin, who was watching the waves lap up against the rocks on the shore of the dreary gray island. "Robin?" she asked, "Could you help me remember what happened last night? I don't remember meeting you, let alone getting aboard your ship."

Robin laughed. "Last night I was watching the ship while the rest of the crew went to town to get supplies. When they came back, you came with them. You all stayed up for hours, playing music, singing, laughing, and continuing what I am sure was quite the night of drinking. You'll have to ask the others when they come to."

Drache swore. "I knew going to the pub last night was a bad choice. Now my uncle will hold this against me for months."

"What will he do?"

"He'll passive-aggressively mention it every time he's feeling insecure about his own drinking. The sad part is, I only drink this much about once a year, on my birthday. It helps me forget how little my life has improved every year."

"There are probably better solutions than drinking."

She flushed with anger. "What else is there for me? Just that stupid farm, on this stupid rock, in the middle of the Grand Line. I can't leave unless I die or somehow make enough money to buy a boat. If I do, then what's to stop me being eaten by a sea king five kilometers out? Nothing, that's what, because I can't defend myself. All I can do is sleep, eat, and tend the farm. That's all I'm ever going to do."

"What do you want to do?"

Drache realized she was standing and gripping the apple so hard the juice was dripping down onto the deck. She sat down, and took a small bite of the abused fruit. "I just want to escape. I want to see... I guess I want to explore the world. I want to discover species that no one has ever catalogued. I want to try to find explanations for all the crazy phenomena in this crazy place."

"Hmm," was all Robin said. They sat for a while watching the clouds go by. Drache silently tried to piece the previous night together. She'd started at the pub, simply trying to dull the ache of a hard day at the farm. She'd rebuffed the attempts at conversation from the bartender. Emily was nice, but Drache had been too depressed to do anything more than drink. What happened next... She supposed she'd drunk more than she'd meant to. When some hick started insulting Emily and her bar, Drache had hotly risen to her defense. She argued with him until he gave up and left, then went back to her drink. Emily thanked her and told her she could have any drink in the house for free. That was when the trouble really started. When Emily mixed a drink, there was really no recovering from it for the rest of the night. Just as she was finishing something Emily called a Blaster, a group of strangers walked in. Then... hazy images of the inside of the bar, a few huge smiles and some... green hair? Drache gave up and looked around the ship. She noticed for the first time that the flag flying was a skull and crossbones. She was mildly surprised, but not alarmed. She was unharmed, these pirates seemed to be good people. Then her eyes traveled up a little higher, to the straw hat. She vaguely remembered it, but from where? She started as they heard someone groan and shuffle around below decks. There was a thump, a curse, then the soft click of the cabin door opening and closing.

"Who left the damn blanket in front of the door? Geez, I almost squashed Chopper."

Drache jumped up, "Oh no, that was me! I left in such a hurry I didn't fold it or anything."

The man turned and climbed the stairs to reach them. "It's fine, I kicked it off to the side-Oh, you're still here."

Robin stood and turned to Drache, touching her shoulder. "It was lovely to meet you, but I've got to go into town myself. Now that Zoro's up he can look after the ship."

Drache eyed Zoro warily. This was the sort of pirate who could be trouble. He was clearly very strong, and he had three swords hanging at his side. The look on his face was the most enlightening. His eyebrows seemed permanently furrowed, and his mouth naturally turned down in a sort of frown. "Hello... Zoro, was it?"

"Yeah. I thought you knew that from last night," he raised an eyebrow and smirked. Drache immediately relaxed. If he smiled that easily, the harsh exterior was probably just a product of the rough morning.

"To be honest, I don't remember much of what happened. Maybe you could enlighten me?"

His cheeks reddened a bit. "I- I don't remember it all either. Those drinks your bartender friend makes-"

"Blasters"

"-Yeah, those. Those are killer. I wonder if she'd give me the recipe." He paused, clearly pleased with the idea. "Anyway, what I do remember is going into that bar last night. You were at the bar, looking pretty down, clearly drinking the strongest drink in the place. I think you handed the rest of your plaster-"

"Blaster"

"-sure. You handed it to Sanji and told him you really shouldn't be drinking anymore. Of course, since you are a woman, that idiot started trying to ply you with drinks at every turn. Whenever he gave you one, you looked around for someone else to give it to, though you certainly forgot you were trying to give it away sometimes and drank it anyway. Anyway, I decided to help you out and traded the drinks he gave you with water. You seemed thankful at the time, and I can't say I objected to getting free drinks. After a few... Blasters... I guess we all decided to come back to the ship? I'm not quite sure." Drache now noticed that his cheeks were noticeably red. She hoped she hadn't done anything too embarrassing. He was clearly not telling some part of it. She reddened a bit too at this thought. He cleared his throat just as someone else emerged from belowdecks. A frowning red haired girl peeked up the stairs at the two of them.

"Hey you two!" she said in a bossy voice, "Have you seen the newspaper?"

"Sorry, no," replied Drache.

"Oh, there it is," said the girl as a stork carrying a bag stuffed full of newspapers flapped towards the ship and landed next to some tangerine trees. As she paid for it, Drache turned back to Zoro.

"I just hope your headache isn't as bad as mine was when I first woke up. I swear, those drinks are like getting hit over by a lemon flavored brick."  
Zoro laughed and puffed out his chest, "It'd take more than a few lemon bricks to give me much of a hangover," he smirked, "All the same, I had more than a few of those drinks, and walking into the bright sunshine was harder than I expected." He pointed down at the redhead, now perusing the paper, "That's Nami, by the way, she's our navigator. She's good at what she does, but whatever you do, don't borrow money from her, she's like a shark."

Drache smiled, "You lot probably aren't staying long enough for that to happen. The log pose will probably have readjusted by tomorrow. Then I'm guessing you'll be off again."

Zoro's face fell. "Oh," he said, "Does that mean you've changed your-," He was cut off by a gasp from below as Nami stood up, staring at the deck. An arm had emerged from the deck and had waved to get Nami's attention. Drache stared at it. She couldn't quite make sense of what she was seeing, because this arm, despite moving and clearly working perfectly, was not attached to anyone. It sprouted from the ship as though it belonged there, and it looked so natural that Drache started having doubts about her own sanity. She would have given up on it then and there had it not been clear that Nami also saw it.

"I wish she wouldn't do that," said Nami, as the hand ripped off a bit of newspaper and grabbed a pen from Nami's hand. It scribbled for a second, then held the paper up to Nami, who grabbed it.

Drache whispered, "She wishes WHO wouldn't do WHAT?"  
Zoro smiled, "Robin has the power of a devil fruit. She can-" but before he could finish he was again interrupted by Nami's gasp.  
"Zoro, grab your swords, and wake the others. We're going to shore."

* * *

**I do not own One Piece**


	2. Chapter 2

Twenty minutes later, Drache found herself guiding a group of groggy pirates through the sparse forest on the island, heading to the top of the rocky mountain that lay on the uninhabited west end of the island. As soon as Nami had presented an explanation, that there was a legendary treasure on the island in a cave at the top of the mountain, the whole crew had grumpily gotten up and gotten ready. The blonde one, what was his name... Sanji, with the ridiculous eyebrow, had turned out to be a fantastic chef, and the breakfast had greatly improved everyone's mood, and, she supposed, their hangovers as well. She was introduced to everyone in rapid succession, and as her brain slowly recovered from the night before she started connecting faces with the names.

The hyperactive kid with black hair and wearing the straw hat (That was where she'd seen it before) was the Captain, Luffy. His unabashed enthusiasm was refreshing, but she thought it might get old fast on a confined space like that ship. The adorable reindeer was Chopper, the doctor. When he had first seen her on the deck, he had hidden, poorly, behind the mast, but soon had greeted her enthusiastically along with the others. The tan, skinny boy with the incredible nose was Usopp. He was full of bravado, but she thought it was just a veneer, a mask to help him fit in with the other confident members of the ship. Altogether it was a pretty small crew, but the personalities were larger than life. Each of the crew members had quirks coming out their ears. She loved it. The thought of these lively dimensional people leaving filled her with sadness. She pushed it from her mind as Chopper piped up behind her, "Have you heard of this treasure, Drache?"

"Of course I have. It's the only exciting thing about this island. Unfortunately it's supposedly at the top of the mountain, surrounded by sheer cliffs. The only person I've heard of that's gotten up there said there was no treasure out in the open, just a cave blocked by a huge boulder. They couldn't move it, and I think no one else thinks it's worth the effort."

Luffy smiled his huge smile. "I bet I can get it!"

Nami let her smirk grow to a grin, "I wonder what kind of treasure it is!" Drache could almost see the reflected glint of gold in her eyes. She shivered and looked ahead.

Somehow they had reached the top of the mountain, with help from Luffy's rubbery arms and Robin's many arms. The giant boulder was no object, as Zoro and Sanji had shoved it to the side with very little effort while Drache stared. Unfortunately for Nami, all that lay in the shallow cave was a small wooden box. There was no keyhole or distinguishable lid, so after a good 10 minutes of Zoro slashing at it, Luffy punching it, and Sanji kicking it, the crew decided to carry it back to the ship and see what they could figure out back there. When they reached the ship, the sun was beginning to set over the very mountain they had just climbed.

Drache suggested they go back to the bar to visit Emily, and they heartily agreed. Heading into town with the boisterous crew, Drache felt the least alone she ever had. She hated that they would be leaving so soon-but no, she wouldn't think about that now. She laughed at Usopp's latest ridiculous story as they entered the bar. They sat around a table, and soon were drinking beer and prodding the unscratched box, trying to figure out how to open it. Drache couldn't help but be reminded of something vague from her past. All she could fathom from the depths of her mind was a feeling of warmth, of being loved, and of the sharp wooden edges of a box just like this one. In fact, when she held the box in her hands, running the smooth, dark wood under her fingers, she felt that she could open it, if she could just remember...


	3. Chapter 3

She stopped trying to dredge up the memories and just held the box. It had a weight to it, as though it held something, but it didn't rattle when she shook it, and the weight didn't shift when she tilted it from side to side. Unconsciously, she reached into her blouse and pulled out the necklace she'd worn for as long as she remembered. It was a leather thong holding small bronze disk, with no remarkable engravings, just a triangular hole in the middle. Her hands, acting solely out of instinct, turned the box until she reached a corner with an almost invisible change in hue. She removed the disk from the leather, pushed it onto the corner, and twisted. The box silently opened, meriting a collective gasp from the table. Inside, there was a folded paper resting on a bundle, surrounded by some bunched up canvas. She unfolded the paper. Tears came to her eyes as she read.

"My dearest Drache,  
You may have been to young to remember me when I left, but I am your mother. I hate to leave you here with my brother, he doesn't know how to raise children, but I have nowhere else to turn, and no one else to turn to. I must leave you, possibly forever, and I'm leaving you this letter to explain why, and the bundle inside to allow you to have your own freedom. I'm wanted by the world government. Not for fighting, but for speaking out against their unorganized and dishonest recruiting and training methods. They encourage their men and women to achieve strength above all else, and thus become no better, and indeed sometimes worse, than the pirates they fight against. In the end, if you're reading this, it doesn't matter why I'm gone. All that matters is that you find a way off this island and go wherever you choose to go.  
-Katze"

She folded the letter again and tucked it into her pocket. She couldn't remember her mother, but she would keep this letter safe for the rest of her life. She swiped at her eyes to dry them, then looked curiously down at the box. By this point, Luffy was almost jumping up and down with excitement as she unwrapped the bundle. Inside was a strange looking fruit. Everyone gasped. Nami pointed at it with a shaking finger, then quickly lowered her hand to her side, glancing around the crowded bar. "Let's go to the ship to talk about this. This needs to be in private." Everyone agreed with her, though Luffy seemed ready burst with excitement. They left, Drache carrying the box. Just before she left the bar, though, she ran up to the bar and whispered to Emily, "We'll be on their boat, you should come down after you close down for the night."

Emily smiled, "Of course, Drache! See you later!"

* * *

Down at the ship, they decided to build a bonfire on the beach and continue their party. Sanji started to barbecue some fish Usopp had caught the previous day. Drache turned to Nami as the rest of the crew settled back into conversation. "So what is this weird fruit?"

Nami smiled greedily, "That, my dear Drache, is a devil fruit. You can bet it's worth a ton!" She let out a laugh, but then her face fell, "But I guess it's technically your fruit, isn't it, because of that letter from your mother."

Drache relaxed. Now she knew Nami wouldn't demand the fruit for herself, she felt safer. "I don't mean to deprive you of your treasure, but it's the only thing I have from my mother, aside from this necklace. I just wish I knew what she wanted me to do with it!" She sighed, "I guess I have pretty much two options: sell it or eat it. I wish I knew what kind of powers it contains."

Nami frowned, "I say you should sell it. Those fruits are more trouble than they're worth."

Sanji interrupted their conversation, yelling "Ladies, the food is ready, and I want you to eat it while it's hot!" The delicious scent of the fish drew the girls away from the box, leaving it forgotten in the sand.

The night deepened around them as they drank, laughed and sang. Drache was blissfully happy with these people. When the dusk had fallen away completely, giving the dark and starry night full hold over the sky, Emily appeared at the edge of their firelight carrying a bag full of bottles. "Hello everyone!" Everyone greeted her, and Drache asked what was in her bag. "You all seemed to enjoy my drinks so much last night, I thought I'd bring the ingredients down here. Is that alright?" she asked, suddenly hesitant. She nervously fidgeted with her curly blonde hair.

"It's more than fine, it's great!" said Zoro, with a grin.

Soon they all had downed one or two Blasters and were feeling decidedly more drunk than they had been before. Zoro had, in fact, drunk 4 by the time most of them had finished 2. Sanji was starting to look hopefully over at Robin and Nami to see if the alcohol had loosened them up at all. The night went on pleasantly, but Drache couldn't stop dwelling on the box, and the devil fruit inside it. Finally, Usopp had finally gotten so tired of listening to her worry about it that he asked, "Well why don't you just eat it, and see what it does?"

Her blastered brain couldn't think of any excuse not to as he walked over to the box and solemnly carried it back. "Everyone!" he yelled, "It's time to watch Drache eat a devil fruit! Unless you're afraid," he said to her in a taunting voice.

This irked her, and her annoyance drove her to open the box and pull out the fruit. It looked like a mango, but a swirling pattern marred the usually smooth surface of the fruit. She took her pocket knife and peeled the skin away. She looked up nervously at the excited crew around her, and bit deep.

It was juicy, but it was tart, and the aftertaste left her mouth stinging. She dutifully ate the whole fruit, choking down every last bite and gnawing the final stringy meat off of the seed, then looked up. Robin was the first she turned to. The woman smiled at her, but with a worried expression on her face. Usopp gasped, staring at her face. "What?" she asked, or she would have, if she hadn't stopped and gasped in surprise. Something was wrong with her mouth! She slowly raised her arm up to feel what sort of shape it had taken, then she sneezed, tickled by something on her hand. She opened her eyes to look, and saw feathers sprouting from her arm, turning them into giant wings. She stood just as everything around her began to tower, as though the others were turning to giants. She then realized she was shrinking, down, down to the size of a large bird. She slowly stretched her wings out in front of her. "A bird of prey," the cold, rational part of her brain thought. "Too small to be a red tailed hawk or an eagle. Maybe a peregrine?" The rest of her mind was blank in a mixture of fascination and horror. Her next thought came with startling clarity. "I can fly." Instinct took hold and she left the ground with little effort. She looked down on her friends as she rose on the hot air from their fire. She closed her eyes in pleasure for an instant, then panicked. "How do I get down? How do I change back?" At that instant she felt cold air hit her legs and face. She was no longer protected by the feathers that she had only seconds ago been cloaked in. She flapped, and found little resistance against her bare arms. She began to fall. She took a deep breath, extended her fingers, and soon she swooped back up, in control of her body again. This time she had wings and a beak, and her skin was covered in a soft coat of feathers, but she kept her human shape and size. She allowed herself to spiral slowly to the ground, landing on her feet in the same spot she had so recently vacated. The others looked at her with wide eyes and, to her surprise, smiles. She turned to Luffy. "Now that I'm more than useless, can I travel with you?"  
"I thought we decided this last night! You're our new biologist." At this, Drache broke into a smile, her eyes tearing up from happiness, and she threw her arms around Luffy's neck. He grinned, "I'm excited for all the adventures we'll have together!"  
"Me too, Luffy," she replied through her tears.


	4. Chapter 4

And so the party continued into the night, Emily providing prolific drinks, and the crew laughing and singing for hours. Eventually Drache found herself sitting next to Zoro on a log in the light of the bonfire. The potent blasters had definitely taken an effect on the both of them. She found herself peeking out of the corner of her eye at his face and earrings, then moving down to his neck, shoulders, and chest. His muscles were clearly defined, even through his shirt. She wished she could touch him, just to feel how hard his muscles must all have been. She looked away, pretending she'd been staring at the fire, when he turned to face her. Her heart started pounding like she'd just sprinted up a steep slope.

"Looking at something?" he asked with a smirk, she knew he'd seen her eyeing him. Her already flushed cheeks reddened. "Hey, don't worry about it. In fact, come walk with me a little. I'll tell you something." They stood and walked away from the light of the fire into the privacy of the forest. Rather than slow, her heart kept beating quickly, and her insides felt like they'd turned to electricity. "I'd like to tell you what else you did last night." He cleared his throat, "Or I should say what WE did last night."

Drache was confused, her alcohol addled mind working through his words. "What... we did?"

"It started like this," He reached out and gently grasped her hand. He guided it towards his head and pressed it against the side of his face, so her thumb brushed his lips and she could feel the prickliness of his short green hair. She moved a little closer, as he continued, "and it moved on from there," and pulled her hand down to his neck. She took over control of her own hand, spreading her hand around his neck, feeling his back, his shoulders, his arms. Her other hand came up to his chest and moved around his muscled waist. His hand, relinquishing hers, reached for her hair, running his fingers through it. His other arm reached down and grabbed her waist, pulling her in towards him. "I was terribly sad this morning when you'd forgotten how well we'd gotten to know each other last night," he whispered into her hair. The tiny remaining sober part of her mind thought objectively about how her messy hair must tickle his face, but most of her mind was occupied with her hands exploring him, and his hands doing the same to her. How different he was from any boy she'd ever met!

He stepped away for a moment and slowly removed his waistband, shirt, and boots as she watched. His earrings reflected the distant firelight. She stared at his scarred skin, rippling with the muscles underneath.

"Now where were we?" she asked. He smiled and pulled her towards him again. She draped her arms over his shoulders as he brought his head down towards hers, and soon she was lost in a soft, sweet, long kiss. His breath smelled like lemons.

Soon Zoro had removed her clothes. He pushed her down onto her back as he kissed her lips and neck, while his hands massaged her breasts. His roughly calloused thumbs brushed her nipples, and she felt them grow hard under his caress. He moved his mouth down, down her body, leaving burning kisses every few inches, until he reached her other untidy mane, down below. He nuzzled it with his noze, eliciting an involuntary sigh from above. She ran her fingers through his hair, firmly guiding him towards the correct spot. Once he'd found it, she shuddered and he took the cue. He turned up to face her for a moment, then turned back down, and started massaging the area with his tongue. She rolled her hips forward to open her legs farther, then started to rock them back and forth slowly to the rhythm of his motions. Finally she grabbed the nape of his neck and pulled him back up to her eye level. As they kissed, she reached her arm down, untied his pants, and pulled them down. He kicked them off. She felt his erection against her leg and caressed it, then brought it to her own sex. As he thrust, she arched her back, feeling the pleasure fill every muscle, finally she reached her threshold and spasmed with pleasure, just before he pulled out and climaxed on the ground beside her. He let himself collapse on the ground beside her, and soon he began to snore. She looked down at him, the haze of alcohol burned away with the passion of the night. She grabbed his clothes and draped them over him, so he wouldn't get too cold, though the night was warm.  
She slowly dressed, her skin still humming with sensuous pleasure.

She walked out of the forest, but she didn't return to the bonfire just yet. She walked to a point where the shouts and laughter of the crew were dulled by the waves washing upon the beach. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to slip into bird form. She pushed herself into the air, opening her eyes to her newly heightened senses. She found a warm air current rising, and spiraled upward, towards the stars. She let the thoughts she'd been holding off flood through her mind. Why had her mother given her this fruit? Where had she gotten it? Why would she give up on a life with her only daughter just to protest the marine training system? This last thought made her stomach clench with sadness. She would have given up her quiet farming life on this small island to be with a mother who truly loved her, rather than an entitled, grumpy uncle. There was nothing _wrong_ with him, but he wasn't exactly a tender parent. She shook her head, trying to focus. She couldn't hate her mother for leaving her. Drache couldn't blame her for choosing to follow her heart.

She turned back towards the beach, where she could still see the firelight glowing. She'd find her own way. She would document the strange new species of plant and animal she was sure they'd find. She would expand her horizons beyond anything she'd ever imagined before. With that thought, she touched back down on the beach and changed back to her fully human form, and walked towards the fire, towards her new friends and her new life.


	5. Chapter 5

She meant to spend a little time saying goodbye to Emily, but when she reached the fire, the blonde wasn't there. She looked around, found Usopp regaling an astonished looking Chopper with stories, and asked him where her friend had gone. He thought for a second. "The last time I saw her she was talking to Nami. I don't know where they went." With that he turned back to Chopper and continued, "The day after I defeated the giant tiger..." His voice faded as Drache walked away.

She saw a pair of footprints leading away from the fire, and followed them, guessing they were from Emily and Nami. They seemed to go up the beach a ways. As she walked she thought about what had happened earlier with Zoro. Now that she had joined the crew, it might get awkward between them. She figured she had two choices. Continue their little nighttime trysts, or don't. When she thought of stopping, her stomach clenched, to her surprise. This was a feeling she'd never had before. Sure, she'd dated people, she'd even slept with a few, but she'd never felt like this when she thought about leaving them. There was just something different about this one. The others were like shallow puddles where any depth was an illusion of the light, and once you'd tried to fathom who they really were you'd just find rock or mud under a couple of inches of water. Zoro, though, seemed more like a lake. Placid, it might mirror the sky, or the wind could turn it an unfathomable blue. You could drown just trying to find the bottom.

Her musings were interrupted when the wind shifted and she distinctly heard Emily cry out. She was worried and sped up, but only for an instant. Emily's voice rang out again, "Don't stop, Nami!" Drache stopped in her tracks. She'd always known Emily preferred women, but Nami? She supposed that was why she was always so uptight. There was really no chance for her to find a partner on a boat with only men and one straight woman. Drache smiled and turned around to walk back to the fire.

* * *

The next day she woke far more comfortably than she had the previous morning, and for an instant she was terrified it had all been some wonderful dream. But when her eyes opened, she found them staring at an unfamiliar scene. She was staring at the open ocean from high above, on the crow's nest of the Going Merry. She was so startled she almost fell over, especially once she realized she was vertical. What was going on? Then she turned her head and stretched her arms above her head, and she really did fall over when she saw that her arms were wings, and she wasn't plummeting towards the deck of the ship, but slowly circling down to it. By the time she reached the deck, she'd remembered the devil fruit. She hadn't seen anyone around, so she decided to try to land in human form. She closed her eyes to change back...And found herself facedown on the deck.

She rolled over just as the pain hit. It wasn't much, just like falling down two or three stairs, but it was enough for her to stop moving for a second. She opened her eyes when she heard laughter. Robin was trying to muffle her laughter with her hand, but failing miserably. For an moment, Drache flushed red, trying to stifle her embarrassment as she pictured what Robin must have seen, then burst out laughing herself as she realized how ridiculous she'd looked. Changing out of a bird with a serene face, then a complete belly-flop. It was easy for her to laugh, as she was slowly growing accustomed to the happiness that flooded her whenever she remembered she was part of a crew of incredible, quirky, strong people, and she had a purpose. She let herself flop back onto the deck, all pains forgotten, closed her eyes, and let herself soak up the warmth of the sun.


	6. Chapter 6

As they traveled, Drache practiced every day at changing to and from her hawk form. She kept her eye on Zoro, but he treated her no differently from the other crew members, so she slowly and painfully decided that night they'd had was a fluke, and that she might as well give up on him. So she forced a smile onto her face and asked Nami to teach her about navigation. As the days passed, she would wake early, and spend an hour practicing flying within eyeshot of the ship. When Nami wasn't actively steering, she would tell Drache about tides, reefs, sandbars, and weather patterns. The navigator gave her map-drawing exercises and constantly quizzed her on her knowledge. Though she was a harsh teacher and had a quick temper, the redhead was also quick to smile and laugh. Drache found it easy to be around her, and spent most of her days with her.

Asking Nami to teach her had not been entirely driven by curiosity. Though she had tried to convince herself of his disinterest, Drache still had trouble keeping her eyes away from Zoro. She had her mind in control, but her heart still beat faster when he looked at her, and when he spoke, she couldn't help a little flush rising in her cheeks. He continued to give no indication of interest. He spent little time with the crew, mostly exercising or sleeping.

* * *

Weeks later they found themselves, exhausted, at the end of a lengthy and painful adventure on Skypiea. Drache had found herself to be mostly useless except when she flew around the overgrown upper yard and helped crew members find each other. The fights she'd gotten into she had lost or escaped from, mostly unharmed, until she'd been shot in the foot by a Shandian warrior's pistol. After that she really couldn't fight, and had helped Conis get the islanders to evacuate, scouting out paths to the blue sea.

After Luffy successfully rang the golden bell and defeated Enel, and the Skypieans had reconciled with the Shandians, they had begun to celebrate. By this point Drache just wanted to have a good time, because she was tired of fighting and worrying, and her foot was starting to ache. She wanted to dance, but she contented herself with playing a drinking game from Shandora with a group of Sky people. It was a dice game with complex rules about when to drink. The rules were so difficult to follow, in fact, that after a few rounds they devolved into a game where everyone got a number, and if your number was rolled you had to drink. That was far easier to handle, but it was dangerously difficult to stay very sober. Drache forgot entirely about her foot, and laughed and joked with some Shandian warriors late into the night.

Some time later, she found herself reclining off to the side with a drink in her hands. She felt happier than she ever thought she could. She was drunk, and tired, and she knew her foot would be in pain for a little while but she didn't care. Nami had been dancing with some Skypiean, but when she saw Drache sitting alone, she smiled a huge smile, waved, and jogged over to sit next to her. Drache, looking at Nami's flushed face, knew what Emily had been attracted to in the redhead.

"What are you doing over here, Drache? You should be dancing or something!"

"I would," she replied, "But my foot is killing me."

"Oh no! Should I go get Chopper?"

"No, no, I just don't think I should dance on it tonight. Don't let me interrupt your dance, I'm just taking a little break. I was thinking of going to bed soon anyway, I'm pretty tired."

"Oh don't! There'll be plenty of time to sleep later. You should come with me and we can play that dice game with the Shandians again!"

"Thanks Nami, but I should really take a break from drinking, I don't have nearly the tolerance you do. I'll just go on a little walk through the woods, then turn in."

"If you say so," said the redhead, then she scampered over to the girl she'd been dancing with before. Drache was happy she'd found someone to hang out with on this island, because Drache was clearly not going to be any fun. She pushed herself to her feet, gave herself a moment to steady herself against a tree, then walked out into the darkness of the woods with her backpack. It was slow going, as there were tree roots everywhere, her foot hurt, her eyes were dazzled from looking into the fire, and she was far from sober. She reached a clearing, sat against a tree, and looked into the clear starry night. She had made it far enough that the sounds of laughing and yelling from the fire were muffled, and the heat from the fire was conspicuously absent. She shivered and pulled a blanket of her backpack. She wrapped it around herself and relaxed.

* * *

Much later, she half awoke as a twig snapped nearby. Deep down she knew that any enemies had been ostracized from the island, so she didn't panic, but she half opened her eyes when a roughly calloused hand touched her face. Blurry though her eyes were, she could clearly see that the trespasser's hair was a light, mossy green. Not awake enough to process anything, she murmured "Hello," though she enunciated poorly and it didn't come out as a word.

"Shhh," said her visitor, then "Are you cold?" in a deep voice with a touch of worry.

Another noise came out of her mouth, this time in the affirmative. She was very cold, very tired, and though she tried to move and clear her eyes, she realized she felt very weak. She tried to push herself off of the tree she leaned on, but found her arms to be useless, then let them flop back to her sides. Her sluggish mind started trying to think of what could be going on. She looked down at her injured foot and found that the would had reopened, probably when she had staggered drunkenly to this tree. It had been bleeding slowly since she'd arrived, the ground soaking up the blood. She looked up at Zoro, who returned her gaze with concern, then she passed out.


	7. Chapter 7

She phased in and out of consciousness as Zoro removed his shirt, wrapped it tightly around her still-bleeding foot, and picked her up. The change of position made the blood still in her system rush to her head, then depart just as quickly. She almost passed out again, when Zoro said "You have to stay awake. Please, please stay awake."

"Okay..." she whispered, as she did her best to keep her eyes open. She made herself look at his face as she felt his muscled arms tense under her. He started walking back to the camp. Every step jostled her a little, and made the world around her dim, but she focused on his face and concentrated on staying awake.

* * *

She awoke in a comfortable bed. For a moment she simply tried to focus her eyes on the wooden ceiling. Eventually she turned her head and realized she was on the Going Merry in her bed. She thought back, and abashedly realized she must have passed out again on the walk. She tried to sit up, then fell back as a wave of nausea and weakness struck her. She moaned, ashamed of her invalidity. At her sound, someone sat up in the corner, and she turned her head, then tried to focus her eyes to see who it was. Again she first noticed his green hair, then as her eyes focused, she saw his muscled chest, then his concerned expression.

Zoro stood and walked towards her. Drache looked at him, then smirked. "If you keep waking me up like this I'm going to get really irritated with you."

"Only if you keep falling asleep in these inconvenient places," he said with a smile. Her smirk turned to a full grin.

"Do you have any food?" She asked, "I'm starving."

"Sanji probably has something prepared for you. All cut in heart shapes, I'm sure. I can go get it." He turned to go.

Before she could catch herself, she said, "Don't go!" He paused, and turned, one eyebrow raised quizzically. "I mean," she paused as she started raising herself off the bed slowly, "wait, I want to go get it myself. Will you-" As she reached vertical, she ambitiously swung her legs over the side of the bed. The vertigo hit again, and before she knew it, he was at her side, supporting her. "Thanks," she said genuinely as she regained her composure. She sat a moment longer with her feet on the floor, then grabbed his shoulder and stood. She waited a moment for the black at the corners of her vision to pass, then realized she was gripping his shoulder as tightly as she could. She hurriedly let go, then swayed without the support. He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close.

"None of that now," he said. She hardly heard him, she was so distracted by his hand on her waist and his body pressed up against hers. Determined to stay focused, she thought about her hunger instead of the pressure of his hand. He seemed to notice her tense up and allowed her a little space. He took his arm off her waist and moved it to her shoulder.

They walked together to the galley, where, indeed, Sanji had prepared an omelette with dried spinach, tomatoes, and a little cheese. Drache smiled to see that he had also braved Nami's wrath to squeeze her some orange juice. She was so focused on the food that she didn't see Zoro's eyes looking, not at the food, but at her smile.

* * *

He stayed by her side all day, helping her to the deck, where they sat together in the sun talking about nothing, then back to her bed when she got tired, which was quickly. He sat back down on his chair as she fell asleep, and just before she fell asleep, she said a drowsy "Thank you," but missed his response in the haze of sleep. Her dreams mirrored her day with him, with sunshine glinting off his earrings, and a smile on her lips.

She woke in the late morning, feeling far stronger and more energetic. She cautiously sat up in bed and looked around. Zoro had left sometime in the night, and she was alone in the room. She turned to lean against the wall and felt a happy warmth spread through her body. Yesterday had been everything she had hoped would happen with Zoro, and she was certain it would happen again. Her feelings must be requited, why else would he have spent all day with her? With these happy thoughts swimming around lazily in her head, she slowly got out of bed and stretched. Her muscles felt well rested but weak, and she knew she wouldn't be doing much exercise for a few days. She got dressed in a tanktop and overalls, comfortable and easy, then changed her mind and put on a blue sundress. She wanted to impress Zoro. She scolded herself lightly for caring so much what he thought. She looked in the mirror and sighed at the deplorable state of her hair. It needed to be cut, and it stuck out in all directions. She combed it hopelessly for a few minutes, then gave up when there was a knock on the door. "Come in!" she said, hoping desperately to see that moss-green hair again.

The door opened and, indeed, Zoro walked in. She couldn't help a huge grin from breaking across her face. "Good morning!" She walked over to him and grasped one of his hands in both of hers. "I forgot to thank you properly for helping me yesterday," she said, and without thinking, she stood on her toes to kiss him on the lips. He pulled back with a surprised grunt. "I'm sorry!" she said, as her face turned red. "I thought- but no. Sorry, I'm so sorry!" She let go of his hand and fled from the room as Zoro looked after her in shock.


	8. Chapter 8

She spent the rest of the day in her falcon form. They were still in Skypeia, so she flew to the island and explored the treetops and completely avoiding any thoughts of her horrible embarrassment. She finally decided she should go talk to Nami about it, late in the afternoon. She flew towards the area where the rest of the crew remained, resting from a few nights of hard partying. Many of the warriors and civilians from the island were still sleeping, but her hardy friends were already stirring, eating, and stretching. She found Nami's bright hair easily from above with her keen bird eyes. She changed back into human form far more gracefully than she had that day she had face-planted on the deck and sat down in front of Nami, who looked up from her breakfast in surprise.

"Sometimes I think you devil fruit eaters are more trouble than you're worth," she said with a scowl, but Drache could tell she had a bit of a hangover, and it wasn't personal.

"Nami," she said, "can we talk?"

Nami sighed, ate the last bite of her bread, and stood up. "Sure, just give me a minute." As Sanji watched with joy, Nami changed her shirt and pants, stretched, then walked with Drache towards the woods. "What's up? You look a lot less happy than you deserve to be."

"I've made a terrible mistake, Nami! I- I kissed Zoro." At Nami's confused look, she explained what she'd been feeling for the swordsman, how they'd spent the previous day, and what she'd done this morning. She concluded with a deep sigh, "I don't know what I was thinking! I've screwed everything up."

Nami sat in silence for a few seconds, her brow furrowed. "Well, I can tell you one thing: You're doing the wrong thing right now. You're talking to the wrong person. First, I think Zoro's kind of an idiot, and second, you should be explaining to him, not me." Drache cringed at the thought and Nami grumpily said, "Oh grow up. If you can't talk to him about it, it's not worth worrying about, it'll never go any better than it did today."

Drache reluctantly agreed, then promised to talk to him when he returned for the night's festivities, because she had no idea where he was. With that she flew off again to explore the island. She found it easier to stop dwelling on her problems when she was in the air, her keen senses filling her mind rather than useless thought. In fact, she started hearing strange noises from near the party site, so she flew over to investigate. As she flew over the clearing, she noticed the people of Skypeia were getting up, a few clearly trying to cure their hangovers by starting to drink again.

She followed the noises about a thousand feet away from the clearing and coasted down towards the ground. As she approached, she heard a loud creaking, followed by a series of cracks, then saw a giant tree start to fall away from her. She landed on the ground as it slowly fell and found Zoro at the base, shirtless, glistening with sweat, holding two of his swords. She took a deep breath, changed to human form, and cleared her throat. He spun around more quickly than she could have imagined, his muscles tensed and his swords raised, then saw her and sheathed both. Though his weapons were out of sight, his back remained straight, and he kept one hand at the hilt of his blade. She felt a pang of embarrassment as she saw how uncomfortable he clearly was. "Can we talk?" she asked carefully.

He nodded. He said nothing, so she began. "Zoro, I'm really sorry about what I did today. I made assumptions that were clearly not correct, and I just acted out of instinct and I hope we can still be friends and it will never happen again," as she spoke her words came faster and faster, with no response from the man standing in front of her. She finally stopped on an awkward, "and I'm really sorry."

He stared at her for a moment, then cleared his throat and said "Okay."

"Okay? That's it?"

"That's it."

"Oh," she said. They stood in silence for a long moment, staring at each other. Finally, he unsheathed one sword, and began to slice the tree, first into rounds, then into firewood sized logs. She sat for a while, watching, then decided to help. She started carrying wood from his growing pile to the location of the still-smoldering bonfire from the night before. She had always had a gift with fires, so she found little trouble in restarting this one. Starting fires seemed to be the only useful thing she had a gift for, she thought ruefully. Everything else she could do well involved embarrassing herself, injuring herself, or estranging friends.

As she walked back and forth from the fallen tree to the fire, she didn't notice Zoro pausing to watch her.

Time passed far faster now that she had a physical activity to keep her mind occupied. She was still weak from her blood loss, so she had to take frequent breaks, but she found herself reveling in the sheer mindlessness of it. Finally Zoro had chopped enough wood, and she finished carrying it all, so they returned to the campsite. He immediately joined the Shandian warriors he had made friends with, so she went to join Chopper, Usopp and Nami all listening to Robin tell them about history and drinking beer.

Usopp whispered to her "We're drinking every time she mentions something we've never heard of," and giggled, demonstrating how ignorant he'd been of history. Of them all, Nami seemed to be doing the best. Drache grabbed a beer and sat next to her.

Nami leaned over and whispered, "How'd it go?"

"Not good." She told the redhead everything she'd said, and Zoro's unsatisfactory response.

"Hmmm," was all Nami said. She then turned back to listen to Robin and took a swig of her beer.

Drache was starting to get irritated with the terseness of this crew. They'd seemed so vocal only days ago! She stood, downed her drink, then went to find something stronger. Tonight seemed like a good night to drown her woes, as there was plenty to drown them in. Really, she reasoned, they had no chance.


	9. Chapter 9

The night continued, and Drache continued drinking until the sun had long since set, and the party was in full force. She found herself, again, on the edge of the firelight, wishing she were somewhere else. She just stared up at the stars, so clearly visible from this incredible island in the sky. She thought she was alone, but when she looked around, she noticed someone sitting next to her. Thinking it was Nami, she said a cheery, "Hello!" but when the figure turned to face her, she saw Zoro. Immediately she wished she were invisible, but he grinned. Then he stood, which was clearly a difficult task as he seemed to be very drunk, then reached out his hand to her. She grasped it and stood.

"We can talk now," he said, a little slurred. He didn't let go of her hand, but pulled her away from the party and into the woods. As they walked, she noticed that he kept bumping into her, like he couldn't quite walk straight. She couldn't decide whether it would be easier or harder to talk to him while he was drunk, but he'd been more... friendly with her in this state before.

They reached the cover of the trees, and before she knew it, she was apologizing again. Before three words had come out of her mouth, he shoved her against a tree.

For a horrifying moment, Drache was sure he was attacking her, but then his mouth pressed against hers, hard, and they were kissing and she was so happy but she was very, very confused.

He finally pulled away, and took a step back, swaying in place. "You're too beautiful."

"Then why-" She was cut off by his mouth on hers again. This time she pushed him away with some difficulty. "Zoro! I can't say I'm not pleased, but can we just talk for a second?"

He stood there for a moment, shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it." He grabbed her by the arm so quickly she couldn't react, then sat and dragged her into his lap. "If we have to, I at least want to have fun."

"Fine," said Drache, pushing his hands down from her chest. "First of all, if you're interested in me, why didn't you say anything when I talked to you earlier? And why didn't you stop me when I ran away after I- after I kissed you?" As she spoke, his hands tried to explore her form, but she didn't let them get anywhere too exciting. As it was, with his left hand on her thigh, and his right conspicuously inching upwards towards her breasts, she was very distracted, and her hazy mind was starting to question why she was talking when she could have been doing something far more enjoyable.

"I don't know what's wrong with me, apparently I'm only sane when I'm drunk, because only someone insane wouldn't want you," he whispered into her neck.

At this she regained her sanity, removed his hands forcefully, and stood. "Don't give me that," she said angrily. "You either like me or you don't, and you don't get to keep messing with me like this!"

Zoro sighed. Suddenly he seemed far more sober. "Fine, I'll explain," he said. "Do you know why I train so hard, every day?"

Drache realized she didn't. In fact, she knew almost nothing about him.

"I made a promise, a long time ago, to become the best swordsman in the world. Without that drive, I'm nothing. Nothing!" He said it with such force Drache stepped back. "Anyway," he said in a more subdued way, "When I'm sober and awake I feel like I have to spend every second training. It's the only constant in my life. Then you showed up with your eyes, and your hair, and your fascination with the world, and I realized I'd found something I'd never experienced before; something that could distract me from my goal. It was terrifying so I got drunk and voila, I was free, and that night was beautiful. But then you forgot, and I promised myself it would never happen again, but it happened again the next night. I was hoping if I ignored you, you'd stop being so irresistible, but it got worse and worse..." He trailed off.

She had tears in her eyes. She hadn't thought he would be so conflicted. She surreptitiously wiped her eyes, then kneeled in front of him and took his hands. "I promise I won't ever come between you and your goal. But you know, you and I, we can still... do whatever it is we've been doing."

He looked up at her. "It's not that easy!", and she could see the tension in his face. "But I see what you mean. The problem right now is I can hardly think," He hooked his hand around the nape of her neck and pulled her close, "because you're so very distracting."

And he kissed her, and it was softer than the one earlier, gentle and affectionate. She gave in. They could figure everything else out tomorrow.

She put her hand on his hard chest and guided him to the ground, keeping her face tantalizingly close to his own, but not quite touching. She reached down to remove his shirt. He raised his arms to help her slip it off, then finally lifted his head to hers and kissed her, all the while exploring her back with his hands. Finally he reached down to pull her dress over her head.

She explored his chest with her mouth as he fumbled with his pants, finally kicking them off. He reached his hand into her underwear and parted her lower lips to rub her sweet spot. She rolled her hips against him with a small moan. She pulled off her remaining clothing until they were both fully nude. She guided his cock to the proper place, then she slowly started to move her hips back and forth, pushing him inside and pulling back away. he massaged her breasts as she did so, pressing his thumbs hard into her nipples and rubbing, and as she came closer to her crescendo, he started pausing, clearly too engaged in what was going on below to continue. She found a rhythm, but he rolled her over onto her back, then started thrusting faster than her tantalizingly slow pace. She tensed and relaxed with his thrusts, feeling pleasure flood her body until it was uncontainable, and she moaned and reached her climax, just before he removed himself and aimed away to dispel his seed onto the ground. He let himself fall onto her, encircled her in his arms and pulled her tight. Though it was night, it wasn't very cold, the ground was soft, and she'd had an exhausting day, so she allowed herself to fall asleep there, in his arms.


	10. Chapter 10

Drache woke, shivering and cold, in the gray of the pre-dawn light. She couldn't see much around her, but she fumbled around on the ground until she found her clothes. Her mind was so blurry and slow, she didn't realize why she'd been so cold until she'd gotten her clothes on. She looked around to make sure, then slumped to the ground against a tree and hugged her knees. Zoro had left in the night. She was alone again, with no hope of a repeated show of affection from him.

She sat for a while, curdling in her own sadness, until she finally wiped her damp eyes, stood, and planted her hands on her hips. She'd determined long ago not to let anybody else decide how happy she was going to be.

She walked back to the ship, all the while thinking of her plans. She needed something to occupy her mind in the next stretch of their journey. Though they seemed to have exciting adventures anytime they reached an island or encountered another ship, they could also have painful stretches of inactivity on the ship. Last time she'd made it through with Nami and Robin's lessons. Maybe this time she'd learn from Chopper or Sanji...

* * *

And they left Skypiea. After a truncated descent to the waters of a Marine base, a hasty escape, and a few strange and unrelated adventures, they found themselves sitting on the ocean again. Drache had found herself to be of little use on said adventures, except her talents as a biologist had come into play a few times, with some giant sea monkeys and a balloon octopus. Their next goal was to find a shipwright for the poor Going Merry, but in the meantime Drache often would help Usopp and Chopper as they patched holes and supported weakened beams.

Disappointed in her own inability to fight or protect her crew members, she finally came to a decision regarding her training. She approached Luffy and asked him to help her train.

"Sure thing!" he replied, "This is how I train!"

What ensued was a huge feast, to Sanji's exhasperation. This fueled Luffy's endless energy, as he bounced around the deck, hung from the rigging with his rubber arms, and sat at the bow watching their progress. Drache, trying to follow his example, got a stomach ache and very sleepy. Luffy finally asked how the training was going.

"I think your technique doesn't quite work for me, Luffy, I don't feel much stronger."

"Oooooh! If you wanted to get stronger, you should have gone to Zoro!"

Drache frowned. That would be the logical decision. But that would be the most awkward thing she could ever do. He hadn't really interacted with her beyond the necessary since their nighttime tryst on Skypiea.

On the other hand, she really did want to get stronger, and he trained constantly. He must have some tips for a beginner. She finally decided to go talk to him.

* * *

She stood in a loose tank top and shorts, just around the corner from where he normally trained on the stern of the boat. She took a deep breath, then stepped around the corner to find a shirtless Zoro doing handstand pushups. She cleared her throat, and he looked over towards her.

"Hold on," he grunted, and continued doing the exercise. She waited there nervously for a few moments, before deciding to sit against the wall and wait for him to finish. She tried to think of something to say after he finished, but her mind was blank, so she figured she was going to have to wing it.

Finally, he lowered one leg, then the other. His muscles rippled under his skin coated with a sheen of sweat. She kept her eyes on his face as he walked over and sat against the railing across from her, put his hands behind his head, and relaxed. "What do you want?"

"I was wondering if you could train me."

"Why me?"

"Why not?" She replied quickly.

He smirked. "Fine," he said, "First I guess we should see what you're capable of."

And he counted how many pushups and situps she could do. He taught her how to do a handstand and timed how long she could hold it. He made her change into her human falcon form and fly around the ship until she couldn't anymore. All the while, he watched, counted, and did his own exercises. He didn't congratulate her or urge her on.

He exhausted her until she couldn't move. As she lay on the deck of the ship, slowly cooling off in the evening breeze, he sat next to her. She turned her head to look at him, and asked, "How'd I do?"

He looked at her, and raised an eyebrow. "It doesn't matter. What matters is how well you do tomorrow."

* * *

So she went back the next day, and the next, and the next. She was constantly sore, and she couldn't believe how many painful things Zoro could come up with for her every day. On the other hand, her mind so occupied with her own pain that she almost completely forgot about her feelings for him. Almost.

All the while, she got stronger. Each day she was able to do a few more of whatever exercises Zoro told her to do, and eventually he was training her in the martial arts he knew. Though he was a swordsman, he'd also been trained in hand to hand fighting. Though Drache had never done any sports, she'd always been active. Her favorite thing to do had always been to climb the trees and the mountain on her home island, so she'd had plenty of experience figuring out how to make her body move in interesting ways. Zoro uncovered a natural athleticism, and found that she was flexible, strong, and learned quickly, though he would never admit it to her. So he taught her moves that he knew about but couldn't do because he wasn't flexible enough.

One day, as she in the midst of a difficult set of kicking exercises, he interrupted her. "You'll never learn to fight if you don't intend to hurt someone. Here, punch me." She looked at him in surprise. He smiled, "Unless you think you'll hurt me."

She smiled, then took her stance and punched him in the stomach. At least she aimed for his stomach, and put about half the total force she could have behind the blow, but found herself striking empty air. She looked up in time to see a smirking Zoro gently grab her by the shoulder and wrist and use her momentum to pull her to the ground. In an instant, she was on her stomach on the ground, with her arm pulled up behind her, completely preventing her from doing anything. Zoro laughed. "You're going to have to do better than that," then let her stand. She returned to upright with a red face. She had assumed he wouldn't dodge, and when he did, he had moved almost to quickly for her to see. She got back into stance, and, stepping forward as she did so, tried to punch him again. This time she watched his feet, and when they began to move, she stopped her punch and raised her leg and whipped it around to kick him in the side just as he stepped towards it. He, of course, saw it coming and lowered himself to a crouch to avoid it. She missed completely, then staggered as her leg's momentum brought her around. Just as she was about to regain her balance, Zoro grabbed both of her forearms behind her back. She felt his breath on her neck as he said, "better."

He didn't let go of her arms, and she realized she was supposed to try to get out. After a few moments of hopeless struggling against his far superior strength, she paused. Taking a deep breath and relaxing her whole body, she allowed her elbows to bend, stepped back into the space that had given her, and found his arms, still grasping hers, in front of her face. Grabbing his left hand with her right and twisting it off of her arm, she bent her legs to get her hips under his own and flipped him over her shoulder. Unfazed, in the air, he grabbed her arm and brought her down with him.

They landed in a messy pile of limbs on the floor. The whole encounter had only lasted a matter of seconds but she was tired from her day's exertion, and Zoro was not a small person to flip over a shoulder. So she began to disentangle herself from Zoro and stand, only to find herself trapped once again by his strong grip. He easily rolled over and held her in a lock grip, most of his weight on her torso, holding her head and arm through his right arm. She struggled to get free, trying to grab his legs with her own, but he just scooted away, turning them both in a circle. She tried to get her arm out of his grip and he readjusted his hold so she was just as trapped, but this time her arm couldn't move.

Once again, she took a deep breath, relaxed her body, then quickly hollowed her abdominals and pushed away from him with her legs. She got free, barely, and rolled up to a defensive crouch, facing him. He still had that smile on his face. It was infuriating, but she made herself be patient, waiting for him to strike first. He went for a grip on her wrist, lunging forward. She sidestepped and smoothly grabbed and twisted his hand against the direction of his lunge. With the pressure on his wrist, he lost his balance and fell backwards. Keeping the pressure on his joint, she twisted his arm until he was on his stomach on the ground. He growled as she twisted his arm behind his back, then sat on him in victory, laughing.

Her victory didn't last long. He was incredibly strong, and could withstand far more pain than she expected. He pushed himself off the ground with his other arm, bucking her off his back. He sprang up, facing her with a poorly suppressed grin on his face. She knew she'd impressed him, though he'd never admit it. "That's good enough for today," he said, straightening up out of his fighting stance. Exhausted, she stretched out and left.


End file.
